


Worst Fears

by HephaistionsThighs



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Happy Ending, M/M, inspired by the "leaks"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 22:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16982787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HephaistionsThighs/pseuds/HephaistionsThighs
Summary: One last ficlet before the show ends, inspired by the "leaks"The Paladins see each other's worst fears.  They aren't all what one might expect.





	Worst Fears

Just as the Paladins shared a bond with their Lions and each other, Shiro had a bond with Atlas. Now they discovered Voltron could bond with Atlas, all six Paladins reunited again. This ability revealed itself mid-battle, but just like their initial attempts to form Voltron, they were having trouble making it happen where their lives weren’t being threatened.

They went on a week-long retreat. They didn’t actually go anywhere, they were in fact inside the Atlas itself, but they were isolated from everyone else. The goal was to strengthen and deepen their bonds with each other, to enable them to form one coordinated force whenever necessary.

Today’s exercise was a rough one. But it felt necessary; they had to expose themselves emotionally if they ever hoped to achieve the connection they needed.

The mind-linking headsets were programmed to search through each Paladin’s subconscious and pull forth their worst fears, and one by one, display them to the group.

Allura went first, and the heartbreak was immediate. Her worst fears had already happened - the death of nearly every person she knew, the destruction of her entire planet. She hadn’t witnessed it, already locked in cryosleep, but they all saw and felt what she imagined it had been like, including the murders of her parents.

There became a running theme. As Hunk, then Lance, then Pidge went, it all focused around images of destruction. Family dying, the other Paladins dying, buildings collapsing, planets vaporizing, humans and aliens of all kinds being marched in chains. Their joined minds became a loud echo chamber of pain and fear and sadness, but there was a strength in that. They knew exactly why they were fighting.

The scene shifted dramatically when it was Keith’s turn. The sky went from dark with smoke to perfectly clear and blue. The Paladins and all of their friends appeared in glowing happy images, very much alive and dressed to the nines. They were gathered together on a green lawn for some sort of party.

Shiro stood at the front in a white tux, holding hands with a man none of them had ever seen. This was clearly a wedding. They beamed at each other, splendid in their joy, and leaned together for a kiss.

Keith tore the device off his head.

He stared in mortification at the floor in front of him, too ashamed to meet the others’ eyes. But for a moment, his darted to Shiro. “I- I’m sorry.”

He got up and left. It wasn’t the storm out of a younger Keith, but it was still certainly fleeing.

Shiro watched him go, staying where he was for several seconds, unsure of what to do. Then off came his headset too, and he was out the door.

.

“Keith…”

The younger of the Black Paladins took a few more steps before stopping, as if his body wanted to put more distance between them and he had to force it to do otherwise, his desire to flee stopped by his acknowledgement of the need to face his problems.

“Keith, it’s okay.” Shiro really didn’t understand what he’d just seen, but he didn’t want Keith to feel bad about it.

“No, it’s not.” Keith turned to face him as he spoke. “I’m so sorry, Shiro. I…”

Shiro didn’t think he’d ever seen Keith look so uncomfortable when it was just the two of them alone.

“I do want you to be happy.” His expression pleaded for this to be believed. “I’m just… selfish.”

Abandonment. Of course that’s what Keith feared. His emotional well-being had gotten much stronger over the last few years, but some damage was too deep to ever be completely repaired. Shiro drew closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

“No matter what happens, I’m never going to leave you.” It came out like a vow, but he didn’t know how else to say it. They needed to be honest here, and his feelings were genuinely that earnest. There was more he would have liked to say.

Keith still looked so guilty. Shiro gave his shoulder a squeeze. “Hey. I know better than anyone that you’re not selfish.”

“I am!” Keith’s insistence on this was firm, it came out as nearly a shout. More words followed quickly, couldn’t be held back. “I really do want you to be happy, Shiro, to get everything you deserve in life. I want the war to end, I want peace, I want you to finally be free of everything that’s been forced on you, even Voltron, but I-“ Keith took a breath. There was no choice but to come clean at this point. The others weren’t stupid - even if Shiro was too close to see the truth, they would. “I don’t want you to fall in love with someone who isn’t me. Because I am selfish.”

Shiro froze, even his breath. He couldn’t think of any other way to interpret what Keith has just said, but he also couldn’t be completely, 100% certain, and he didn’t want to do anything that could possibly be wrong. Keith had stopped hiding his gaze, meeting the emotional exposure fully. He was always the braver between them. “Keith…”

Keith’s eyes sank away again, taking the lack of response as anyone would. “It’s okay, I know you don’t feel that way about me. I shouldn’t—”

“I do!”

His gaze snapped back at once. “What?”

“I do feel that way!”

“What?” Keith was so taken by surprise, he couldn’t manage more eloquence.

Shiro took him by both shoulders now. “I feel so much for you, Keith. Including that. Especially that. There’s no one else I can imagine myself ever marrying but you.” It was too early, too sudden, to say ‘I love you,’ but he did feel it.

Keith had half gotten his wits back about him. “Can I kiss you?”

.

Two Years Later

.

“I do.”

Shiro beamed across at Keith, clasping his hands, feeling the full weight and meaning of those words.

“By the power vested in me by the Intergalactic Alliance, and by Kolivan because for some reason he’s in charge of all the Blade members’ virginities or something—”

“Hunk!” Having him officiate had seemed like a good idea at the time.

“Sorry, sorry. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and… man! You may now kiss the husband!”

The informality did nothing to lessen the occasion or their happiness. Keith tugged Shiro closer by the lapels, and took him for his own.


End file.
